


The Ninth Night

by TransBoyFanBoy



Series: Those Nights [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, College, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Non-Sexual Intimacy, but just a little bit, cgxlb, dxlb, part of a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25082428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransBoyFanBoy/pseuds/TransBoyFanBoy
Summary: Jackson and Nathan have been adjusting to college life well over the past couple of months.There was just one problem, though, and the only way to solve it is with a surprise visit from the older Brewer brothers.
Relationships: Jackson Brewer/Nathan Hall, Julian Brewer & Jackson Brewer, Julian Brewer & Noah Brewer, Nathan Hall & Julian Brewer, Nathan Hall & Noah Brewer, Noah Brewer & Jackson Brewer, Original Male Character & Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Those Nights [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/766590
Kudos: 21





	The Ninth Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you guys enjoy this part! I was actually looking back on some of my other, earlier installments of this series, and I realized how far I've come since I started writing. Anywho, happy reading!

Nathan’s POV:

It had been nearly two months since moving into our dorms and starting college, and everything seemed to be going well. After the fiasco with Jackson failing his first government test, he quickly adjusted to life on campus and to the new, difficult coursework. That wasn’t to say that he--and my myself, for that matter--didn’t struggle through some of the more demanding classes and stricter deadlines, but he had begun to accept that asking for help was necessary and that there was no shame in it. We’d even set him up with the campus tutors, older students that had previously taken the classes Jackson was having a hard time in; having conversations with people he knew wouldn’t judge him appeared to make him more willing to accept the assistance. Overall, we were both adjusting well.

There was one problem, however, that had yet to resolve itself: Jackson was still homesick.

He missed his family desperately, and it was obvious to anyone who knew him that he hadn’t prepared himself to leave them. Despite the fact that Julian had moved off and joined Noah at college the year before, Jackson had never truly had to deal with not having them around, because they came home to visit pretty much every weekend and some nights during the week for family dinner. So, not having them around whenever he wanted to see them was taking a toll on him. We had tried a couple of methods for solving his homesickness, like Skyping Noah and Julian every other night to catch up, but the effectiveness of this soon faded, as Jackson would just feel more lonely and upset after the calls. We had thought about trying to set up days to drive back to the Brewer residence together so the brothers could visit in person, but all of our schedules were hectic and there was never a good time between work and classes to head down at one time. Sadly, we were running out of options.

He didn’t even bother to deny it when I brought the issue up with him anymore--he’d just fall into my arms and let himself cry as he told me how he wanted to see them. More often than not, he’d regress when he was missing his brothers… which is exactly what got us to where we are now: me with an armful of Jackson, and him sobbing into my shirt, dragging snot and tears along the cotton material miserably. 

His wails made my heart break, and I bounced him in my arms as I paced, cooing quietly into his ear in an attempt to soothe him. 

“Shhh, Angel, it’s okay. I know you must miss them, hmm?” He nodded pitifully into my shoulder, his unrelenting tears soaking through my shirt. I felt so horrible for him, and I knew that even though I couldn’t really understand how he was feeling, being an only child, I still wanted to take all of his pain away from him.

After almost twenty minutes of non-stop sobbing, Jackson finally began to settle in my arms. From looking at him, I could tell that he wasn’t feeling good, and that he was probably starting to develop a killer headache from crying. I carried him over to his bed as he sniffled and calmed himself down a bit more, rubbing at his puffy eyes with a fist, then set him on the edge of the bed so that I could search through the drawers under his bed for some pain reliever. He whined at the loss of contact, so I set a hand on his thigh absentmindedly as I crouched down and rummaged through the plastic drawers. Finally, I found what I was looking for. I grabbed a bottle of apple juice from the mini-fridge next to the drawers before I stood to full height again with them in my hands, giving Jackson a comforting smile. He had never enjoyed swallowing pills, as the feeling made him gag, but he especially hated it when he was little. Thankfully, I quickly caught on and bought him the liquid ibuprofen from then on. I grabbed a spare bottle from his closet, then went back to the bed and unscrewed the lid.

I poured the apple juice into the bottle first, then added the directed amount of liquid ibuprofen in next. I screwed the cap back on tightly, shaking the bottle up to mask the bitter flavor of the medicine. I handed the bottle to him without a word, and he gave me a watery smile as he began drinking it. He hummed as the cold juice hit his throat and suckled eagerly. Tears still fell from his eyes now and again, and I definitely needed to wipe his face down with a wet wipe, but for now, I let him finish the bottle. Slowly but surely, he finished the last bit of juice, leaving only a few drops gathered at the bottom of the bottle. 

He frowned at me as he finished it, shaking it in his hand and holding it out to me. I took the bottle from his fist, going through to the bathroom to wash it out and grab the package of wipes from under the sink. When I came back, Jackson’s lip was wobbling, and his eyes were filling with tears once more. With a sigh under my breath at the helpless feeling of not being able to keep him calm, I rushed over and scooped him off the edge of the bed, sitting on the ground with him in my lap. He snuggled into me, whimpering softly, and I could tell he had regressed further than earlier. I pulled a wet wipe from the package and wiped his face of the gross snot and mess from earlier, making him pull away and huff.

“Do I have a fussy baby on my hands tonight?” He just whined softly in my arms, turning his face away from me. “Shhh,” I soothed. “Shall we see if Julian and Noah want to see their favorite baby brother tonight to cheer him up?” Receiving a nearly imperceptible nod in response, I dug through my pocket and pulled out my phone, going to my Skype app and requesting a video call with Noah and Julian. 

I half expected them not to answer, as it was edging on midnight (far past the little one’s bedtime), but soon enough I was faced with Noah and Julian’s faces, wide awake and smiling at the camera. Their eyes flickered down to the baby in my lap, his eyes puffy, cheeks red, and his lips latched around his thumb. They smiled instantly, glancing up at me with bright eyes and greetings. 

“Hey, sorry for calling so late, but a certain someone was missing his big brothers a lot, and we wanted to say goodnight before bedtime.” They kept their smiles, but they faded into something a little sadder, likely at the obvious tear tracks down Jackson’s face. 

“It’s alright, I was just enjoying having the dorm to myself for the night.” Julian assured me before turning to Jackson again. “Hey, Bub, you havin’ a rough night?” He cooed sweetly. Jackson pouted at him behind his thumb and nodded, a few more stray tears falling down his cheeks. 

“Aw, it’s okay Jacky, big brothers are right here, see? We love and miss you so so much, isn’t that right Jules?” Noah states, and Julian automatically nodded in agreement. “We’re gonna try to see you real soon, Buddy, promise. Now dry those eyes, alright? That’s a good boy! Have you been good for your daddy recently, hmm?” Jackson’s mood turned up a bit as he nodded again, grabbing hold of my shirt tightly since his stuffed toys are up on his bed. He squealed quietly and tugged my shirt with one hand, looking at me and pointing to the phone screen. 

“I see that, Lovely, those are your brothers.” I gently pried his fingers off my shirt, letting him hold onto one of my fingers instead. I spoke to Julian and Noah next. “I think he’s feeling nonverbal tonight, but he really did want to see you guys. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to get him down for the night if he didn’t get to call you, so thanks.”

“Of course! We always want to see our baby brother.” Julian said, and Jackson turned back to the phone at the mention of himself. “Yeah, you hear us talking about you, Cutie?” His coos made Jackson giggle behind his thumb, scrubbing at one eye tiredly as the other reached to grab for the phone.

“Oh, you want to hold it, huh?” I said with laughter in my voice. “Okay, here you go.” I pulled the phone closer, letting him take it from my hands clumsily. Once he had a firm hold of it, he faced the camera solely on him, poking at the split-screen images of his brothers on the other line. 

I heard Noah and Julian talk to him dotingly for another few minutes until I noticed the space between Jackson’s yawns become shorter and shorter. I took the phone back from the boy in my lap as he almost dropped it sleepily, and he snuggled into my chest again, not putting up much of a fight as I held the phone and rubbed his back. He closed his eyes, sucking his thumb sweetly. His hair fell into his face, and I looked at the phone screen again to see that both brothers were watching the scene with adoring smiles. 

“Well, I definitely think it’s time for me to put him to bed; he’s had a long day.” I petted Jackson’s hair as I said this, and he subtly snuggled further into me. 

“Yeah, seems like it: Little Man’s down for the count. Thanks for calling us, man, it was nice to see you guys for a few minutes.” Noah spoke up, laying back in bed. 

“Yeah! We miss you guys--can’t wait to see you.” Julian said. 

“We miss you both, too. Hey, are you two gonna be up for a while?” I asked in a hushed tone, hoping not to wake Jackson, whose breathing had evened out in my arms.

They both nodded in confirmation, looking at me questioningly. I hastily told them to keep their phones on them, and that I would text them once I got Jackson settled into bed. They agreed, and we all said our goodbyes and hung up. 

Carefully, so as not to wake my sleeping partner, I stood from my spot on the ground with Jackson in my arms. I grunted under the struggle of holding his weight, feeling unreasonably old. I moved swiftly and silently over to Jackson’s elevated bed, placing him in the center of it. I did a sneaky diaper check, slipping a finger into the leg hole, and cursed to myself when I found it wet. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest after his fit, nor was I upset with him, but I did worry about how I would change the boy without waking him up.

Once Jackson was settled in bed safely, I moved through the room to gather the diaper supplies. I froze when I accidentally kicked one of the plastic toys on the floor, listening for any signs of movement from Jackson. Fortunately, after thirty seconds, he was still sound asleep. I continued my search until I had gotten everything I needed to get him changed and dressed for bed. 

I made quick work of the change--well, as quick as one can be when trying to diaper what is essentially a ticking time bomb without waking it up. I had a few close calls, where Jackson’s face would scrunch up and he’d squirm around in his sleep, but eventually his face would even out again and he’d go still. Soon enough, I had him dressed in a cute pair of pajamas with little whales on it, and I had him tucked under his covers with his stuffed animal in his arms. Lastly, I placed a pacifier in his mouth, and huffed a sigh of relief when I was done and he was still peacefully sleeping. 

After changing into my own pajamas and using the restroom, I grabbed my phone, flipped off the dorm light, and climbed into bed next to Jackson. He didn’t like to be left alone when he was small, and he _really_ didn’t like waking up alone when he was still small, so as a general rule, I slept next to him if he fell asleep regressed. I put my phone on silent and slid in next to him, covering myself with blankets and facing the ceiling.

I held my phone above my head, turning it on. After immediately flinching at the brightness, I turned it down and went onto my messages app. I started a group text with Noah, Julian, and myself in it, and sent a long text.

_**You:**_ _Hey guys, if you couldn’t tell earlier, Jackson’s been having a really hard time battling homesickness recently. I know that we’ve tried to set up a day where we could meet up at you guys’ house, but since that never really happened, I was wondering if there was any day you both are free to maybe come up to our campus for a surprise visit. I think Jackson would definitely appreciate it, and I want to try to do something to help him. I hate seeing him struggling, as I’m sure you do, too. Let me know if that’s something you guys would be up for arranging._

I read over the text a second time, making sure it sounded direct but not rude, and when I deemed it fine, I sent it out. I waited a few minutes, staring at the ceiling some more, when two consecutive notifications came in, causing the phone to vibrate against my stomach. I picked up the phone, unlocking it and going to the messages app, where both Noah and Julian had responded eagerly. 

_**Julian**_ : _oh hell yeah! that sounds dope. my boss gave me off Saturday and Sunday, so i’m free this weekend. wbu Noah?_

  
_**Noah:**_ _Of course, that’s a good idea. I’m also free this weekend miraculously, so if that works for you, then we should set up a time._

Reading over the messages, I smiled. I was happy Jackson would finally get to hang out with his brothers again. 

I quickly sent a response with a time, and once they verified that they’d be there, I set my phone down and flipped over onto my side. I pulled Jackson into my chest, reveling in the way he subconsciously relaxed in my hold, suckling his pacifier more insistently. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, hoping I could keep the secret to myself for the next four days. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

All too slowly, the weekend came, and by Saturday morning, I was close to bursting with excitement for Jackson’s surprise. I had woken my boyfriend up around ten in the morning--later than he’d usually sleep in, but I figured he’d had a late night, so a little extra sleep wouldn’t hurt. Unsurprisingly, Jackson woke up feeling big again, so he thanked me for last night, pressed a kiss to my lips, and excused himself to take a quick shower. I warned him that the water may take a while to warm up, since I’d taken a somewhat lengthy shower earlier that morning while he was sleeping. He chuckled tiredly and nodded, heading off to the bathroom. I heaved a sigh of relief as he closed the door, nearly bouncing in place to contain my excitement. I was usually great at keeping secrets (if I wasn’t, I’m sure we wouldn’t have gone this long without anyone aside from Julian and Noah finding out about Jackson’s regression), but this was different, because the secret was for my partner, and I really hoped he’d like it. 

Busying myself while he was in the shower, I decided to set up the mini-projector I’d bought in Jackson’s room. I hooked the projector up to my laptop, then faced it towards the large, blank wall in Jackson’s dorm. I set up a spot for us on the floor, layering the area with pillows and soft, cushy blankets so that we wouldn’t get uncomfortable. I waited to pull up a movie, deciding that I wanted Jackson to determine the course for the morning. 

When said man came out of the shower, now fully dressed but still damp under his shirt, he took in the sight of the projector and the blankets. He smiled, amused, and pulled a towel over his head to dry his dripping hair. 

“Having an indoor picnic, are we?” 

“Something like that. I didn’t bring any food, though.” He smiled, settling down next to me on the pallet. 

“That’s alright, I’m not hungry right now anyways. So, is today a chill out day then?” I nodded in response, and he accepted the answer, hugging me to his chest from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder. 

I turned the laptop on and asked what he wanted to watch. He picked an Avengers movie, which we were both happy enough with, and we pulled it up to watch it and--unbeknownst to him--kill some time before Julian and Noah arrived at one. 

… 

Just as the first movie was coming to an end, the credits rolling and Jackson and I waiting for the cut scene, there was a knock on the door. Instantly, I knew who it was, and I fought to hide a knowing smile as Jackson glanced down at me questioningly. 

“Expecting someone?” He didn’t wait for me to answer as he stood up from his spot behind me, walking to the door. 

I quickly followed to see his reaction as he opened the door and came face to face with his brothers. 

I swear, he almost slammed the door on them in shock when he saw them standing there, holding their arms out for a hug. Instead, he ran into their arms and let himself be engulfed into the embrace, holding on tightly to them as if they’d disappear when he let go. 

We ushered them in soon after that, and I tried to hide my smirk again as Jackson between myself and them. 

“Hey, Jacks. Nice to see you.” Noah said with an easy smile.

“Yeah, dude, we’ve missed you! How’s college life treating you?” Julian asked energetically.

“It’s been better recently, for sure… What about you guys?” Jackson asked politely.

“It’s been busy. I’m so glad I got the weekend off. I think I would have keeled over if I hadn’t gotten this break.” Julian exaggerated.

“It’s been busy for me, too, but it’s been interesting. Since I’m taking my more specialized courses that I’m actually going to use this year, I’ve been having a way easier time paying attention to the lectures.” Noah explained happily, leaning against Jackson’s bed. “Did we interrupt your movie date?” 

“No, of course not. We actually just finished _Avengers: Age of Ultron_.” The older Brewer brothers nodded, and we caught up for a while longer before I suggested getting lunch somewhere around campus. The good thing about college towns was that the restaurants tended to be cheaper to draw in business from the students. Everyone agreed on trying a newer pizza place that had gone in across campus, so Jackson and I put shoes on, and we headed off. 

The walk across campus was nice, and there was a light breeze blowing the trees. Jackson’s long hair looked a mess by the time we arrived at the restaurant, so I stopped to fix it for him as we waited to be seated. He blushed lightly, thanking me, then turned to the hostess, who was telling us to follow her to our table. 

We were seated in a comfortable booth towards the back of the restaurant. There was a lot of natural light seeping in through the window directly across from us, and I took a moment to savor the happy scene in my mind. Then, I turned to browse the menu options, and it seemed the others had the same idea. Once we had all placed our orders (Julian and Jackson were going to split a large pepperoni with double cheese, and Noah and I were getting two personal pizzas, his with sausage and ham, mine with honey barbecue, chopped chicken, and grilled red onion), we placed our menus down and struck up light conversation. Eventually, Jackson asked what we had been expecting him to ask since Noah and Julian showed up at his dorm.

  
“What are you guys doing here? Not that I’m mad about it, obviously, I’m just super confused. When did you guys plan this?”

“Well, Nathan messaged us the night we Skyped you guys, asking if there was any way we could set up a visit to surprise our baby brother, and obviously, we weren’t going to disagree.” Julian explained nonchalantly, looking over to me. 

Jackson turned towards me with teary eyes, smiling beautifully. He scooted closer to me. 

“Thank you…” He said gratefully before facing back to Julian. “Not a baby, though.” Julian laughs boisterously at this, automatically disagreeing without a second thought. 

“Oh, I beg to differ. I seem to remember a certain someone cooing and sucking his thumb and going nonverbal on us the other night. I think you’re just the cutest baby we’ve ever seen. Isn’t that right, Noah?” Julian teased, looking to Noah for backup.

“Absolutely. He’s definitely the most precious, _babiest_ baby brother ever--no doubt about it.”

It was an instant change, like the flick of a switch. Jackson’s eyes widened the tiniest bit, his bottom lip jutted out, and he whined across the table at his brothers’ teasing. 

“Big brothers are mean!” He huffed in a whiny tone, glaring at them and then looking to me for help. 

“Aw, Angel, I’m sure they weren’t trying to be mean. Noah and Jules were just teasing you. It’s okay.” I did a quick glance around us to make sure no one at the tables surrounding us was paying attention, reaching out to pet Jackson’s hair. He simmered quickly with the affection, but stuck his tongue out at Julian and Noah sassily. “Hey now, be nice.” I warned sternly, and he nodded, snuggling into my side. 

“Sorry, Bubba. Sorry, Bubby.”

“It’s alright, Kiddo, you’re probably just getting a little cranky from hunger, yeah?” Noah asked, and Jackson nodded affirmatively at the question.

“Well, I’m sure they’ll bring our food out soon,” Julian assured. “But in the meantime, what say you and I draw some pretty pictures? I think I might just have a couple pens we can use, so long as you promise to keep your drawings on the napkin and off of yourself. Think you can do that, Little Dude?” Jackson nodded fervently at the offer.

“Yes yes yes, please, Bubba! Promise!” He shouted, drawing the attention of a few other customers in the restaurant, who soon enough decided the outburst wasn’t that interesting and went back to their own conversations.

While Julian was in the middle of drawing a complex, detailed UFO, and Jackson was drawing a much messier spaceship, the waitress brought out their pizzas. Jackson pouted up at me when I told him to put his pen down so he could eat, but he seemed to have decided that his hunger outweighed his desire to finish his picture, and he set down the pen while I doled out two slices of pizza to him. 

He ate happily, but clumsily, and ended up spilling quite a bit of pizza sauce down his face. He was not happy about this fact, and it was evident in the way he whined and wiped at his chin with his greasy fingers. Hastily, I grabbed onto his wrists to keep him from spreading the mess around his face more, and he sat still while I took a napkin to his face and hands, clearing them of the bright red sauce. 

Soon enough, after giving Jackson one more slice of pizza (and cleaning him again) the rest of us finished our plates and boxed up our leftovers for later. 

We figured that, since Jackson was feeling small, it would be the safest bet to get him back to the dorms so that we could change him, get him settled, and have some more quality time with him. So, after paying for our food and leaving the kind waitress a twenty percent tip, we headed out of the restaurant and onto the pavement outside, walking the sidewalks. Every now and again, Jackson would get distracted by something, like a butterfly fluttering past, or a rollie pollie on the ground in front of us. He would squeal and reach out to them, and the rest of us would smile and gently guide him away from the creatures, leading him back to the dorms as quickly as possible.

A few blocks later, we reached the dorm building and ushered Jackson inside. On the way up the elevator to our floor, he hummed what sounded like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” happily to himself, fidgeting with his fingers. In a burst of affection, I pulled my baby into my arms and rested him on my hip, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He giggled with glee, kicking his legs out and making it just a bit harder for me to keep hold of him. 

Soon enough, the elevator doors were opening on our floor, and I did a quick check down the hall to make sure it was empty enough for me to carry him all the way back to our dorms. Then, I exited the elevator, bouncing Jackson on my hip purposely to make him laugh. He squirmed in my arms, trying to wiggle away.

“Dada, down!” He tittered, and I complied only when we reached the door to his dorm. Setting him down, I unlocked the door, and he bolted inside. I chased after him playfully, holding my hands out like I was going to tickle him. Sure enough, it didn’t take me long to catch him, pulling him back into my chest and tickling his sides. He squealed and shrieked, shaking with laughter, until I finally decided to have mercy and relinquish him from my hold. He made a run for his brothers, who were standing by the now-closed door, watching the scene fondly. Jackson half-hid behind them, still giggling but now out of breath.

“Bubby, Bubba, help! Dada’s gon’ get me!” In response to Jackson’s loud exclamation, Noah and Julian gasped dramatically.

“He is, is he?” Julian questioned, an exaggerated look of shock on his face. Julian turned to Noah, who shared the over-dramatic expression.

“Well, not on my watch!” Noah assured, standing protectively in front of Jackson, giving me a goofy smile where Jackson couldn’t see.

“Don’t worry, Little Dude, Noah and I won’t let your mean Daddy get hold of you.” This seemed to appease Jackson, who slowly came out from behind his brothers, plopping himself on the pallet that was still set up on the floor. 

“‘Kay, so long as you promise.”

“We promise, Kiddo.” Noah stated seriously. 

“Well, I hate to break up the party, but I think someone needs to be changed into some more appropriate clothes. C’mon, Lovely, let’s get you nice and cozy.” I held my hand out imploringly at Jackson as I said this, waiting for him to stand from his spot and take hold of it. 

Once he was up and had taken my hand, I pulled him over to his dresser of regression items in the closet, telling him to pick out an outfit for the evening. Even though it was only around 3:30 in the afternoon by this point, I didn’t see us leaving the dorm for the rest of the night, so I opened up his drawer of pajamas. Jackson, on the other hand, was none too pleased with the clothing options, and he insisted that he wear daytime clothes. Begrudgingly, I opened the next drawer up, which held his daytime outfits. I knew right away which one he’d go for; his favorite pair of light blue shortalls, a white shirt with baby blue planets lining it, and a pair of white socks with frills on the edge surely made their way out of the drawer and into his arms. It seemed he wanted to feel prettier today, if the frilly socks were anything to go by, but it was just a small enough accessory that Jacky wouldn’t feel self-conscious wearing it in front of his brothers. Though I’d assured him time and time again that they wouldn’t judge him for wanting to wear “feminine” clothing (even though there’s no such thing), he’d almost always outright refused to put on anything that was even close to questionable if they were around. It was sad that he worried so much about his brothers’ opinions of him, but I understood his need for approval from them. That being said, I was proud that he let himself pick those socks; it meant he was getting more comfortable expressing his wants around them when he’s small, which was a big step for him.

I nodded my approval at the outfit, then grabbed a pull-up from the top drawer, as well as a pacifier and clip that would match his outfit. On a hunch, I also grabbed a sippy cup before leading Jackson to the bathroom. Before closing the door, I told Julian and Noah that we’d be back in a few minutes, and they nodded coolly. 

“Alright, Jacky, you think you can try to potty for me real quick before we dress you?” He nodded dutifully, undressing from waist down and using the toilet. After flushing, I reminded him to wash his hands. While the water in the sink warmed up enough for him to wash them, I gently praised him.

“Good boy, baby. You feeling a little older today?” He nodded silently, scrubbing soap into his hands in concentration. A few moments later, I helped him dry his hands off on a hand towel. “Can you tell me how old? Show me on your fingers.” Jackson thought for a moment, then held up three fingers. I wasn’t really surprised that he was at the older end of his regression age range, but I would be shocked if it lasted all day, especially with his brothers visiting. “You’re three?” He nodded. “What a big boy I have! Let’s get this big boy dressed now, whatd'ya say?” 

“‘Kay, Daddy.” After the short burst of energy from earlier, Jackson was acting much more subdued. He played with his hands again as I picked up the pull-up, tapping his thigh softly to signal him to step in. I pulled the garment up his legs as he fidgeted, then reached for the shirt next. 

“Lift your arms for Daddy, Angel.” He did as instructed, giggling lightly when I accidentally tickled his arms as I slid the shirt over his head. He beamed down at the shirt once it was on, playing with the hem as I gathered the shortalls next. I undid the clips at the top, then maneuvered him into them, pulling the straps over his shoulders and clipping them back into place. Next, seeing as Jackson was beginning to chew on his lip, I attached the pacifier to the pacifier clip, then fastened the clip to the cute little chest pocket on the shortalls. I held the pacifier to Jackson’s lips after pulling his bottom lip out from his teeth, and cooed at him as he took it and started sucking on the silicone nipple immediately. Finally, I hoisted him onto the counter, rolling out the frilly socks and putting them on him, one at a time. 

Stepping back to look at him, I smiled lovingly; he looked so precious in his outfit, and I could tell by the crinkling of his eyes that he was smiling behind the pacifier. 

I helped him down from the counter and settled him on his feet, offering him my hand again. He took it gratefully, standing by my side as I picked up the forgotten sippy cup, unscrewed the lid, filled it with water from the tap, and screwed the cap back on. I handed him the cup, letting him tuck it into the crook of his elbow, before opening the bathroom door and leading him back into the main room. 

Upon seeing their little brother, both Julian and Noah’s faces melted into something fond, and they cooed at the boy, who was contently suckling on his pacifier. 

“Well aren’t you just the sweetest little boy I’ve ever seen!” Julian sang dotingly.

“You look so pretty, Kiddo! You did such a good job picking your outfit.” Noah joined in. Jackson’s face warmed at the words, and he lisped a shy ‘thank you’ from behind the paci. 

“You’re very welcome, Jacks. Now, what’re we doing with our afternoon?” Julian directed his question to me. 

“I’m not sure. What do you want to do, Tiny?” I looked to Jackson, who shrugged and hid his face in my shoulder. “Aww, c’mon, there’s nothing you want to do? Nothing at all?” I chuckled as he groaned and whined in reply. “Well, you think about it some more then, hmm? You know, if you can’t come up with something, Daddy gets to pick, and I’ve been awfully tired today--I think I might just put us all down for naptime, if it’s up to me.” I said teasingly. I watched the instant shift in Jackson’s attitude, his eyes widening exponentially and him dropping to the ground. 

“Noooo, Daddy, I can pick!” He scrunched his face up, putting his hand on his chin in an exaggerated thinking face. The three adults in the room chuckled at his dramatics, leaving him to come up with an idea for a few minutes. 

Suddenly, Jackson gasped. 

“Oooo, I got an idea!” He exclaimed. 

“Is that so? What is it, Little Man?” Noah asked him, a smile on his face. Jackson recoiled in on himself briefly, as if self-conscious. 

“Umm… can we maybe.. play trucks? And build buildings out of my blocks so the trucks have homes?” His voice was quiet, shy again, and we were all quick to reassure him.

“Of course we can do that, Angel. We’ll play whatever you want, alright? All you gotta do is ask.” I said affectionately, crouching down to his level and stroking his cheek with my hand. He nodded, nuzzling his face into my hand. 

As I pulled Jackson into my lap, settling on the ground myself, I pointed Julian and Noah in the direction of Jackson’s toy cars and building blocks. With minimal struggle, they dug the toys out and over to the pallet on the floor. They dumped the bag of blocks onto the blankets, then set down the drawer full of Jackson’s cars. 

... 

The four of us played for a considerable time, letting Jackson lead the way, and a few times when I glanced up at Julian, I could swear that he was enjoying playtime much more than he was letting on. However, he didn’t seem to want to talk about it, and he definitely wasn’t hurting anyone, so I let it go with the promise of telling Noah later on. Meanwhile, Jackson babbled on excitedly about his trucks, making up stories for where they were going and what was in all of their “houses.”

Before too long, Jackson started rubbing his eyes sleepily, yawning every now and again. By that time, it was nearly 5:00 in the evening, and I figured Jackson would probably need some dinner, a change, and a nap. Deciding to be the bad guy, I clapped my hands and caught everyone’s attention. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving. You guys wanna order some Chinese food for delivery?” Noah nodded first, sitting up on his butt and leaning back on his arms. Julian followed shortly, after looking at the toys in his hands and hesitantly putting them down. Jackson... well, let’s just say that he can be stubborn when he wants to be, especially when he’s tired and cranky. He shook his head, letting out a little whimper as I tugged the toy truck from his closed fist with ease, setting it down behind me. He scrambled to reach over me and grab it, but I pulled him back and shot him a look that had him pausing. “Jacky, we can play more later. Right now, we need to get some food in that belly of yours, and then you need a quick nap. If you’re a good boy, I’ll even let you stay up an hour past your normal bedtime. Do you understand?” 

Sniffling, Jackson nodded. I felt bad for reprimanding him in front of his brothers, but I wanted to give him the chance to correct his behavior on his own to avoid timeout or writing lines later. Fortunately, the correction seemed to be all he needed to behave for the time being. He sniffled to himself, and I pulled him back into my lap, rocking him from side to side. 

“There’s a good boy, Jacky. Now, what would you like to eat?” He mumbled out an order, and I nodded. I then collected the other Brewer brothers’ orders, picked up the phone, and dialed the number for the Chinese restaurant a few miles away, off campus. I placed an order for delivery with no issue, paid over the phone, and hung up after getting an estimated delivery time. The food would be cooked fresh, and thus wouldn’t be delivered for around forty-five minutes--the perfect amount of time for Jackson to squeeze in a quick, thirty minute nap.

I turned to Noah and Julian, who were talking quietly to themselves about something I couldn’t quite hear. 

“Hey, I think the little one needs a nap. Is it cool if he takes a quick one before the food gets delivered?” I asked.

Noah scoffed a laugh. “Nathan, it’s your dorm: if he needs a nap, then put him down for one.” He laughed lightheartedly at my sheepish expression, then turned to Jackson. “Jacky~why don’t you let big brothers and Daddy put you down for a quick snooze? When you wake up, the food will be here and we can keep playing.” 

Jackson didn’t look too pleased with the prospect of a nap, but he probably didn’t want to get scolded again, either, so he sucked it up and nodded. He tilted his head up to look at me, still in my lap. 

“Naptime?” He asked sweetly. I nodded my head, taking one of his hands in mine and bringing it up to my face, kissing each of his fingers softly. 

“Yes, Angel, you’re gonna have a nap.” I then leaned down to his ear. “Do you need a change first?” I whispered. He considered for a moment, then shook his head. 

“Nuh uh, Daddy, not wet.” He badly whispered back. 

“Okay, well then let’s try to potty again before I get you settled in bed.” He agreed to this and allowed me to pick him up. I carried him into the bathroom again, let him use the toilet, and again assisted him with washing his hands. 

When I led him back out of the restroom afterwards, I immediately aimed him for the bed. I helped him climb up onto the bed, then covered him up with a blanket (bar his feet, though, which were still covered by socks and were therefore deemed by Jackson “not allowed” under the blanket). I ran my fingers through his hair for a bit, asking Noah to switch off the lights. The three of us watched as Jackson drifted off effortlessly, definitely needing the nap, no matter how short. 

Light streamed in through the window besides Jackson’s bed, leaving the room basked in a warm, dim light. I silently nodded my head in the direction of my room, and they caught on quickly, following me through the bathroom and into my room. 

We left the door cracked so that we could hear Jackson if he woke up and needed us, but otherwise we were free to speak at normal volume. 

I decided that now was as good a time as any to address Julian’s behavior. 

“So, now that Jackson’s down for his nap, Julian, are you feeling okay?” My question went unanswered as Julian’s face got red. Eventually, he shook his head and made eye contact with me.

“What’re you talking about? Of course I’m feeling okay.” He tried to brush it off, but Noah and I weren’t having it. As I was about to speak up, Noah beat me to it.

“Julian, really; I’ve told you before not to lie to me, and to tell me when you need some extra help.” Noah fixed Julian with a hard stare, and Julian kept his gaze glued to the floor. 

“I mean it, guys. I feel fine.”

“Jules, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re talking to two--more or less--caregivers here. We can tell when you’re lying. If you’re feeling small, you need to speak up so we can get you what you need.” Noah spoke adamantly, insisting that Julian look up at him by placing a hand on his shoulder. 

When Julian made eye contact with Noah, his lip wobbled, and he went to hide his face in his brother’s shirt. 

“... Feeling small.” Julian mumbled into the otherwise silent room. Noah patted his back soothingly, encouraging him. 

“And that’s perfectly alright, Jules. It’s okay that you feel small, because Nathan and I are here to help you.”

“Want my purple blankie.” Julian muttered pitifully. Noah and I looked at one another, sadly realizing that his blanket was back at Noah and Julian’s school. 

“We don’t have your purple blankie here, Julian; it’s back at your dorm, remember? How about you borrow one of Jackson’s for now?” Julian let out a little cry at my suggestion, but he went along with it. 

Julian clutched Noah’s shirt as I left the room and went to fetch him one of Jackson’s soft, less used blankets. For good measure, I also picked up one of his spare stuffed animals and pacifiers. Entering my dorm again, I went over and crouched in front of Julian, who had taken to sitting on his heels while I was gone, still holding tight to the hem of Noah’s shirt.

“Hey, Buddy, look at this.” Julian glanced up at me, looking at the items I held in my hands. He held his shaky hands out for the blanket and stuffed toy, and I willingly handed them over. I offered up the pacifier, too, and he accepted it with a grateful hum. 

“There now, isn’t that better already?” Noah asked softly, petting Julian’s hair. The regressed man nodded, sniffling once. 

Noah turned to me next. 

“Thanks for this. He tends to get weepy when he’s feeling small, and even more so without his comfort items. I appreciate you lending him some.” He looked truly thankful, but I brushed him off with a wave of my hand. 

“It’s nothing, really. Feel free to borrow whatever you need. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you guys would do the same for Jackson, anyways. ” 

“That we would.” Noah nodded. “Hey, Bubba, you wanna get changed and watch some cartoons with Bubby and Nathan?” Julian nodded once, looking at me shyly. “I’m gonna go get him changed into a pull-up and some sweats, if you don’t mind.” Noah looked at me expectantly, and I immediately moved out of his way. 

“Of course! As I said, borrow whatever you need. I’ll go pull up Disney Plus on my laptop, and we can watch something while we eat our food.” Noah nodded in affirmation, and I walked through to Jackson’s dorm room to do just that. When I looked back, Noah was grabbing a pull-up from the dresser in Jackson’s closet, as well as a pair of loose sweatpants and a tee shirt, then heading back to the restroom where Julian was likely waiting for him. 

By the time I logged in to my Disney+ account, Noah was walking out of the restroom with a cozy-looking Julian in tow. 

I gave him a gentle smile, and he scurried over to the blankets I was sitting on, laying down immediately and begging for Noah to lay with him. He held his arms over his head, making grabby hands up at his older brother as he whined. 

“Shhhh, Jules, Jacky’s still sleeping. We gotta be quiet for a few more minutes so he can rest, okay?” Noah reminded gently,settling in on the pallet as well, and Julian’s eyes widened. He put a finger to his lips, showing that he understood. 

I smiled as I handed the laptop over to Julian for him to pick out a movie or show for us to watch. He seemed to be coming out of his shell a lot more after the change, which was a good sign. Soon, he had picked what he wanted and turned the laptop towards Noah and myself. He had picked “Gravity Falls,” and he was looking at us with a big, hopeful smile. 

“Alright, Sweetness, we can watch that when your brother wakes up.” Noah promises. Julian’s eyes flood with happiness, and he can’t seem to control the little squeak that makes it way out from behind his pacifier. 

“Speaking of... the delivery person should be arriving any minute now.” I stated, looking to the door, then checking my phone. 

It was now 5:50, about forty minutes after placing the order, and I decided that it would probably be better to wake Jackson up now than to have him startle awake when the delivery person knocks on the door. So, I stood up from my comfortable spot, moving swiftly to Jackson’s bed. He was sleeping soundly, hair covering his eyes and breath softly blowing portions of it away from his face. I admired him for a moment or two before bringing a gentle hand to his arm, rubbing up and down. 

“Jacky, Angel, time to get up.” I whispered to him, watching his face screw up unhappily. He let out a quiet little whine and tried to roll over, hiding his face in the blankets. “Now, now, the food’s going to be here soon, love. Don’t you want to eat?” That caught his attention, and he rolled over once again to face me, opening his eyes groggily. 

“Daddy...?” He reached a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. 

“Yes, Baby, it’s me. It’s just about dinner time, so let’s get you up now.” I opened my arms for him to climb into, letting him lean against me for a couple of minutes and wake up more fully. I rubbed his back, making him hum happily. Seeing the pacifier he must have spat out in his sleep, I grabbed it and put it in my pocket to wash off and give to him again later. 

“Bubba and Bubby still here...?” He asked hopefully. 

“Yes, they’re right over there on the pallet, Lovely. Your Bubba is feeling small too, though, so you gotta be real nice to him, alright? Can you play nice for me?” Jackson nodded into my chest, seeming more alert and ready to get down. 

“Daddy, down?” He spoke, trying to look over my shoulder at where Noah and Julian were laying, gathered around my laptop. 

I hoisted him into my arms, then set him down on the pallet of blankets beneath us. He clambered over to Julian happily, smiling as his brother embraced him in a hug. Noah joined in on the brotherly affection, and I smiled amusedly at the scene. 

A few minutes later, a knock on the door signalled the arrival of our dinner. With both Jackson and Julian now small, Noah and I split our time between feeding ourselves and the boys next to us. They ate messily, even with our help, but really, not much was different than when they were in their regular mindsets. 

I chuckled at my inner monologue, drawing the attention of the three brothers. Silently, I shook my head and dismissed it. 

The four of us set up the mini-projector again, and we finally pressed play on “Gravity Falls,” much to the enjoyment of Julian and Jackson. 

\----------------------------------------------------

Night fell before we knew it, and soon it was time for Julian and Noah to head back to their own school. Julian had aged up a bit over the last few hours, but he was still firmly planted in his younger headspace. He was still in Jackson’s clothes, but I figured that they would just have an excuse to see us again and return it at a later point. Jackson had since been changed into his pajamas, and seemed to be feeling younger than earlier that afternoon.

When Noah broke the news that it was time for them to go, both Jackson and Julian were crushed. 

Still feeling weepy, apparently, tears immediately sprung to Julian’s eyes. He cried and held on to Jackson, pleading weakly with Noah to stay. Jackson had nearly the same reaction, but his crying turned to full-out sobbing and insisting that they stay the night. 

With a sad smile, Noah told Jackson that they had to go home and get Julian comfy in his own pajamas, and said that Julian’s stuffies were probably missing him by now. That calmed my boy a little, just enough for him to let go of Julian’s shirt and for Noah to pluck the older boy up and into his arms.

“Can we at least have a story before you go...?” Jackson slurred behind his pacifier. 

I was about to interject, but Noah spoke up first. 

“Sure, Kiddo, go pick out a short story real quick.” With that, Jackson hustled over to his supplies, picking out _The Rainbow Fish_ by Marcus Pfister. With a huff, I hauled Jackson into bed and sat down next to him. Noah set Julian down as well, then took the book Jackson offered him. 

With a confident, cool tone, Noah began reading.

... 

Soon, the story finished, and Jackson was almost completely conked out against the pillows. His brothers each gave him a goodbye kiss to the forehead, then wished him goodnight. Drowsily, he returned the goodbyes, before settling back into the covers and falling asleep.

“We’ll see you again soon, Little Buddy.” Noah promised, picking Julian up again and moving to the door of the dorm. 

“Will you be okay to walk him to your car alone?” I asked worriedly. Noah chuckled and assured me that they would be fine. I said my goodbyes to Julian, receiving a tired wave goodbye in return, before the brothers were off into the night.

“Text me when you make it back to your dorms!” I shouted after them.

“Will do.” Noah replied over his shoulder.

I closed the door behind them, leaning against it and letting out a puff of air. Tiredly, I went to clean up the mess of blankets and pillows on the floor, putting them away. Then, I cleaned up the projector and turned off my laptop. Finishing that up, I changed myself into a pair of pj’s, used the restroom, and brushed my teeth. From the bed, I heard a little whine. I smiled as I walked out into Jackson’s room, finding my boy staring at me blearily, reaching a hand out. 

I moved to take his hand, pressing a kiss to his palm, then tucking it back up into the bed. I climbed in behind him shortly after turning all the lights off. When I was cuddled up against Jackson’s back, I let out a sigh of relaxation and let my body go limp. I swung an arm over Jackson’s torso, pulled him into my chest, and breathed in the lingering scent of his shampoo from that morning. 

I smiled, closing my eyes. 

_‘I am so lucky to have met him.’_


End file.
